제 26 호 The cost of Clicking "Agree"
Kicker : SOCIETY
The cost of Clicking "Agree"
By Soi Lee, Cub-Reporter
After the recent SKT USIM hacking incident, interest in personal information and information security has been increasing. However, even if it is not hacking, the terms of use that we casually agree on in our daily lives can lead to serious privacy breaches. ‘If you agree with the above regulations, please apply!’ Have you ever seen that message? Agreeing to regulations is necessary to use an application or website. Also, it’s too complicated and long. That’s why we just pass over this message. However, we don’t know about the risk of agreeing. Nevertheless, what exactly are we agreeing to and what are the risks?
What Are We Agreeing to
When signing up for a new app or website, users are almost always required to accept the terms of service. These documents often dismissed without a second glance contain legally binding agreements that outline how your data will be used, stored, and sometimes shared. While the length and complexity of these terms make them difficult to understand, the implications of blindly accepting them can be serious. Many terms of service include clauses that allow companies to collect not only basic information like your name and email address, but also more sensitive data such as your location, browsing habits, and even biometric identifiers. Some platforms reserve the right to share this information with third parties, including advertisers or data analytics firms. In many cases, this data is used to create highly personalized user profiles for targeted advertising. For example, popular social media and shopping apps often include vague but broad language such as We may share information with our partners to improve user experience, which can serve as a legal basis for extensive data sharing. Because the wording is intentionally complex, many users are unaware of the full extent of what they’re agreeing to. Understanding what is written in these agreements is the first step toward protecting your personal information. Yet the reality is that very few users take the time to read them or fully grasp what they mean even if they try.
The Risks of Blind Consent
While terms of service contain critical information about data usage, very few users actually read them. The excessive length, legal terminology, and pressure to quickly access a service often lead people to click agree without hesitation. This behavior has become so normalized that many people are unaware of what they are signing up for. This habit of blind consent has bad consequences. There have been several cases where personal information collected through terms of service was misused or inadequately protected. For example, the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed how a personality quiz app on Facebook harvested data from millions of users most of whom never realized their information could be accessed in this way. Also the 2022 Meta platforms request users real time location information and searching history for giving personalized advertisement. They warned that if users did not agree to the above things by August 9th. Then they would stop users’ accounts. This mention was embroiled in controversy over demanding excessive personal information, eventually Meta deleted those terms of service. In such cases, the problem is not just that data was leaked, but that users had unknowingly consented to its collection in the first place. These examples highlight the importance of critically examining what we agree to before clicking accept. If you don’t do that, you could open the door to surveillance, targeted manipulation, or even identity theft.
Why People Don’t Read That
The most important reason why people do not read the terms of service is not simply due to laziness, but rather the result of psychological and structural factors that discourage critical engagement. First, there is consent fatigue. With nearly every digital interaction requiring agreement to some form of policy, users become desensitized. The constant exposure to lengthy, difficult to understand documents makes it psychologically exhausting to assess each one carefully. As a result, users develop a habit of clicking agree automatically treating it as just another step in accessing a service. Second, the language and design of most terms of service are deliberately opaque. Legal jargon, vague phrasing, and walls of unbroken text create barriers to comprehension. In some cases, important clauses are buried deep within paragraphs, making it easy to overlook critical information. Moreover, many platforms use dark patterns interface designs that subtly push users toward accepting default settings that benefit the company. Third, there is a lack of meaningful alternatives. Users often feel they have no choice but to agree if they want to use a certain app or service. Declining to accept the terms typically means giving up access entirely. In such situations, the idea of informed consent becomes questionable, as users are pressured to prioritize convenience over control of their data. This combination of psychological overload, legal complexity, and limited options makes it difficult for users to engage with terms of service in a truly informed way. And while responsibility is often placed on individuals, it is increasingly clear that the system itself is designed to discourage informed decision making.
What We Can Do about That
Understanding the risks of blind consent is only the first step. To truly protect user privacy, action is needed both from individuals and institutions. At the systemic level, stronger regulations are essential. Governments can enforce clearer rules regarding data transparency and user rights. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict standards for how personal data is collected and used. Similar efforts are beginning to take shape in other countries, including South Korea. Companies should also commit to more user-friendly practices. These include simplifying terms of service, reducing unnecessary data collection, and providing clear options to opt out. At the same time, individual awareness and behavior play a critical role. Users can take several practical steps to protect their privacy. These include using websites like Terms of Service Didn’t Read to understand the most important points in an agreement, adjusting privacy settings regularly, and being cautious when granting access to sensitive data such as location, camera, or contacts. Choosing platforms that value transparency and user rights can also help.
We live in a digital world where agreeing to terms has become routine. Yet behind every click of agree lies a set of choices about how much of ourselves we are willing to give away. While it may seem minor, every unchecked box and unread clause adds up to a larger issue of consent, privacy, and power. Understanding what we agree to, and why we do it so easily, is the first step. From there, demanding clearer terms, supporting better policies, and making small, informed choices in our daily online lives can begin to shift the balance. After all, real control over our personal information doesn't come from reading every word it comes from caring enough to ask what those words really mean. It may not be realistic to read every line of every agreement. But we can become more mindful about what we agree to. In a world of constant digital consent, carefully checking the terms of service activity can lead to meaningful change.
Sources:
